Having worked with high school students since his first year of college, James Wang is an outgoing and intelligent admissions expert who brings years of experience to the ThinkTank Learning team. He earned a bachelors degree in both economics and sociology from the University of California, Berkeley. During James’s time at Berkeley, he was not only an active writing instructor, but also volunteered as an admissions counselor for low-income communities in the Bay Area.

Following graduation, James worked as a financial analyst for a year before moving to Beijing China to begin his professional career as a college admissions counselor. Here, he worked with countless students from not only top international high schools all across China, but also students from elite US private schools such as Groton Academy and Choate Rosemary Hall. As a senior admissions counselor, James not only provided expert advice to his students, but also served as a mentor to their development outside of college admissions or academics.

After many years in the college consulting industry, James’s students have gained admissions into top universities including Johns Hopkins, Yale, Carnegie Melon, Cornell, Wesleyan and UC Berkeley just to name a few. Additionally, over time, James has developed a great understanding of what differentiates different colleges and what different colleges expect from their applicants.

James’s consulting philosophy is grounded in the belief that every student from every background has something special to offer. Therefore, the key is to identify and build upon each student’s defining strength, while incorporating the other elements needed to build a focused, but well-rounded application.